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Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader
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500 Handmade Dolls: Modern Explorations of the Human Form (500 Series) Paperback – November 1, 2007

by Lark Books (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 132 ratings
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Contemporary and unique, these handmade creations range from representational to abstract, from skillful realism to provocative surrealism—and they’re made from every conceivable material, including beads, gourds, and polymer clay. Juror Akira Blount, a pioneer in the “art doll” movement, incorporates vines, twigs, and carved wood in her fabric dolls; with their expressionless faces and closed eyes, they appear absorbed by inner worlds. Dutch artist Marlaine Verhelst’s porcelain designs seem to have sprung straight from a medieval painting. Chris Chomick’s strange and slightly scary figures feature amazing detail and elaborate costumes. Dollmakers, crafters, collectors, and anyone who loves beautiful objects will love the amazing diversity showcased here.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    396 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Union Square & Co.
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    8 x 1 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1579908675
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1579908676
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Union Square & Co.; First Edition (November 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 396 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1579908675
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1579908676
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 132 ratings

About the author

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Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader

Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader

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Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader made a pair of pink culottes when she was eleven years old, and has loved fabric ever since. She's a senior editor at Lark Books, and has written and edited many books related to textiles and needlework. Valerie knits every now and then, too, and dreams about making art quilts.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
132 global ratings
Glorious Book
5 Stars
Glorious Book
I am a painter, not a dollmaker, but I had to have my own copy of this book. These are art dolls, not children's playthings; some are grotesque, some are comical, and some are incredibly lovely. All 500 dolls in this juried selection are inventive and inspiring, and the photograph are of very high quality. I would have liked more information on the creators, but their names can be googled. Highly recommended.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kathy A. Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb eye candy for the art doll lover.
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book is just a joy to look through over and over again. Each 'go-through' presents new and un-noticed pieces of trim, accessories, beadwork, clothing types, hair fibers, facial expressions.....The quality of the pictures is excellent; so clear and vibrant. The variety of dolls are unbelievable, and put into sections: cloth, art, clay...Definately a testiment to the talents of each artist presented. This is a book that will last forever as inspiration to doll artists, and I believe will become an awesome piece of history for future doll making.
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ScotDeerie
5.0 out of 5 stars A gorgeous, gorgeous book!
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2012
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Are you a doll-maker? if you are, you should have this book on your library shelf. 500 artists have contributed their dolls to inspire you. Study the dolls, drool over the photography, and, if you're like me, wonder why you didn't think of that first. It is a wonderful book.

You really can't go wrong with ANY of the 500 (or 1000 or 400 or 300) series books. They are ALL well done and contain inspiration and thought-provoking images. Find the subject your interested in and buy the book. You won't be sorry.
One person found this helpful
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Sandra Johnson-Harris
4.0 out of 5 stars Incrdible Variety of Dolls
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2007
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I have a special interest in this book since a friend and I each submitted three dolls of our own when the "competition" was announced. I was amazed at the variety of dolls Lark found. Submissions were up in the 5-6,00 range if I remember correctly. My one, rather large, disappointment with Lark is the amouont of space given to professional and semi-professional doll makers. 3-5 dolls per artist limit the more unusual or also talented doll makers (who are amatures) an opportunity to share their work. This would have made the book more interesting for me. Level of professionalism was not a pre-requisite of the search, though. I must say, we were disappointed not to have a doll in the book, but were not at all suprised at the strong competition. It was a humbling experience! Lark has published many beautiful books of handmade art, most of which I have purchased myself.
7 people found this helpful
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Ronda
5.0 out of 5 stars Already Read it 3 Times
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2010
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This is a visual treasure trove! The first time I read it, I went through section by section, skipping the Fantasy chapter (my favorite genre) and saving it for last. Two weeks later, I went back through it, paging quickly through some and lingering over others with my magnifying readers on, soaking in the fine details. Last week, I went through looking for the pieces I liked the best and using the index to identify all that artist's dolls in the book to see if their whole style was to my taste, or just a particular work. I think next, I'll go through with yellow stickies and mark the ones I like best and then rank them.

Seriously, this book is that good! I don't like all the dolls in the book - it would be weird if I did. I hate looking at some of them in fact. But I've NEVER gotten this much satisfaction out of a book because I've never seen a book like this. 500 dolls...page after page of them. That's a treasure trove for a person like me who loves art dolls, and loves LOVES picture books.

If you like dolls or textiles or sculpting or sewing or collaging or altered books or beadwork or painting or almost any other kind of artwork, get it. If you're looking to be inspired, delighted, and downright infatuated with a book, get it. Obviously, I don't think you'll be disappointed!
2 people found this helpful
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Linda
5.0 out of 5 stars Dolled Up
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2014
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I am a fan and collector of this series of books. This book got a lot of favorable reviews, and I am thrilled that I was convinced to make the purchase. I don't make dolls, and I don't collect dolls, but I find that there are elements in all of the books in this series that help me with my own art. Sometimes one artist will tackle something one way, and it just sparks up a totally different idea that gets me moving in a whole other direction. This book has some fabulous artsy dolls. So fun!
2 people found this helpful
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M. Hobbs
3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful but dissapointing
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2011
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The dolls included in this book are wonderful! The photos are professional and quite beautiful. That said, I do have issues with the book itself. I do not know what the publisher was thinking in making this book 8x8. It does not 'fit in' on a bookshelf with other art/craft/design books of normal size (8.5x11). Also, if the book were normal size, the photos would be bigger and more details would show in the photos. (It's the difference between viewing a photo as an 8x10 and one as a 4x6; the bigger the photo, the more details are evident.) This book, with the smaller photos, leaves me feeling cheated. I am very glad that I did not pay full retail price for this book and consider this a lesson in paying attention to the whole description of an item, but who would have thought a BOOK showcasing photos would be this abnormal size?!
15 people found this helpful
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LaLa
5.0 out of 5 stars Yeah! I love this book! I request an encore!
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2008
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Now this is a book to curl up with. It took me more than a week to get through it once. I read it page by page and gazed at the photos of some of my old favorites and some new ones. By the time I was finished I could have gone back to the beginning and started over. There is just so much information and splendid photography of the art-dolls featured. 500 more dolls would be happily receieved!
One person found this helpful
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Tahlula
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful way to view beautiful dolls!!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2016
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I was very disappointed with myself for buying this book. In fact, I was broken-hearted when I saw what it really is. Please know that after becoming familiar with making dolls, this book is wonderful. This book is made up of 500 dolls, each one a beautiful creation. If you want inspiration, buy this book. It has ALL kinds and sizes of dolls. This book is awesome. Remember, this book has some beautiful photos.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Barbara furlong
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful picture book
Reviewed in Canada on March 1, 2019
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Great book full of ideas
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Cas Barrett
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book if you're interested in dolls - some of ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2017
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A great book if you're interested in dolls - some of them are so realistic it's hard to believe they're made of fabric etc.
A great reference book!
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mamy-Iane
2.0 out of 5 stars 500 Handmade Dolls: Modern Explorations of the Human Form
Reviewed in France on December 10, 2013
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je n'ai pas aimé ce livre parce que je suis intéressée par les poupée en tissu et dans cet ouvrage on touve des poupées dans tous les matériaux et tous les styles.
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BlueLotus
4.0 out of 5 stars すごくたくさんの人形は見応えあります
Reviewed in Japan on April 12, 2009
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創作人形を集めた本は例えば、季刊紙の「緑青」などありますが
なかなかいっぺんに500も見られませんし、
この本は価格的にもお得な気がします。
2.5cm強もある分厚い本です。

体裁は、ただただ、いろいろな人形が続く・・・と、いったかんじなので
博物館的イメージですね。
素材も様々ですから、創作人形を見るのが好きなかたにおすすめです。
持っていてたいへん楽しいフルカラーの本です。
日本人の感覚とは違った色遣いも興味深いです。
だいたい1ページにひとつの人形が載せられています。

★を一個減らし、4個にしたのは、
好きではないタイプも見ることになると思ったからです。

統一された人形の本、
例えば、ソーイングドールだけの本なら
中には好みでない雰囲気の人形があっても、
それほどの違和感はないはずですが
この本では素材も作りも全然違う人形が載せられています。

しかし、本当にたくさんの人形がいます。
美しく、リアルなものやダークなものや
オブジェのような人形や、可愛い人形、風変わりな人形、
日本的なのに外国人作家の手で作られた歌舞伎人形、、、
すべてが独創的でページをぱらぱら見ているだけでも弾んだ気持ちになります。
500はダテではなく、面白くてすごいです！
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C. MacDonald
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 13, 2015
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good
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